Steam power plant



Feb. 11, 1930.

c. B. PAGE ET AL 1,746,605

STEAM POWER PLANT Filed Oct. 12, 1925 :s Sheets-Sheet -1 jwanlb'nsi" Giza/T565 laPage; 0 arm-m Dam fill/T6076, 67 W m M Feb. 11, 1930. c. B. PAGE El AL 1 1,745,505

A STEAM POWER PLANT Filed Oct. 12, I925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 11 1930. c. B. PAGE ET AL I STEAM POWER PLANT Filed oct. 12. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 II/Il 4 2 llllll/l Charles 23. Zcqga Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES crrnnnns 3. PAGE AND WARREN ir-An BURTON, or :avnnsron, ILLINOIS, nssrenons, e; w. DULANY transit, or CHICAGO, ILLIN'OISfA BY MnsNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE COMMON-LAW 'rrws'r PATENT QFFICE s'rnAM gowns PLANT Application filed October 12, 1925. Serial No. 62,062.

I11 one of its aspects, this invention relates more especially to condensing steam power plants, and has particular reference to regulation of the fan or fans which supply cooling air'to the condenser. As the volume of exhaust steam increases or decreases withvariations in operating conditions, it is desirable that the supply of cooling air also shall increase or decrease in order that the condensing system shall operate efiiciently to condense the exhaust steam. Heretofore,

7 quent expense for first cost, maintenance and operation. In one instance, the fans were driven from one of the axles of the locomotive; and in an attempt to maintain the speed of the fansnearly constant, notwitstanding variations in the speed of the locomotive, a variable-speed transmission was interposed between .thefans and the driving axle, and air-pressure-responsive means provided to operate said transmission. In order to attain a reasonable degree of efliciency, it was necessaryto provide additional means for manually regulating the operation of the fans.

One objectof the present invention, therefore, is to provide a system which is substanu and 2 taken together constitute a diagrammatic plan view of a railway motor car embodying the features of our invention.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

While the invention is applicable to stationary steam power plants, we have herein disclosed the invention in connection with an automotive power plant. One of the trucks of a railway motor car is illustrated at 1 in Fig. 1, 2 being the truck wheels. Power is communicated to the wheels 2 through reduction gearing 3, shafting 4, change speed transmission 5 and reduction gearing 6 (Fig. 2) from a prime mover which may be a steam turbine indicated diagrammatically at 7 in Fig. 2. The turbine may be of any preferred type. The turbine herein shown comprises a a steam turbine.

boiler 8 through a pipe 9, a throttle being dia grammatically represented at 10.

As shown in Fig. 2, steam enters the turbine at one end and is exhaustedirom the opposite end of the turbine through a pipe 11 which receives steam atthe outlet end ofthe series of wheels and nozzles and conducts the exhaust steam to a condenser 12. While the condenser may be of any desired construe tion, Lwe haye herein shown a condenser comprising a plurality of "radiators 13 arranged upon the roof of'the car as shown in Fig. '3, steam being discharged from the pipe 11 into the header 14 which communicates with the mammals. Cooling water is sprayed upon the steam within the header 14 by means of spray pipe 15 which is supplied .with iv,ater from. any suitable source. Air is forced through theradiators 13 by :means of fansin dicated diagrammatically at 16, the car rent being conducted to {the radiators 13 by means of conduits17. 17 are dampers-"in the conduits 17 p l M The fans 16are driven by means of an auxiliary prime mover 18 (Fig. 2) ,which may be h 19 indicates ,diagrammati cally a reduction gearing through 1 which power is transmitted fromthe auiiiliarytun bine18 w shaft20. Said Stan isgearedior otherwise fconnectedto drive a shaft 21which in turn has a driving connection with shafts 22 by means of which the fansa're driven. It will be imuerstood; however, that power may be communicated from the auxiliary turbine turbine ,7, through a pipe 23 of suitable capaCity cOnnected to the turbine 7 ata suitble point intermediate the ends of the rot o r.

II" desired, a throttle 23maybe provided "so that the volume of steam suppliedto the auxiliary turbine "18 may be varied with seasonal or other changes of temperature. EX-

hauststeam ,is conducted fromthe auxiliary 13 to tlie'fans 16 in anylou riprefaed man R? turbine 18 to the condenser in any suitable way, as by means of a'pipe 24 extending to the pipxer 11.

hen a relatively small volume of steam is being supplied to the turbine 7, the exhaust steam supplied to the auxiliary turbine 18 is proportionately low, and consequently the fans 16 are driven at relatively low speed to supply air to condense the steam exhausted from the main turbine 7 through the pipe 11 and from the auxiliarly turbine 18 through the pipe 24. WVhen a larger volume of steam is admitted to the turbine 7, tapped steam is supplied at proportionately greater pressure to the auxiliary turbine 18 through the pipe 23, whereby the fans 16 are driven at higher speed so that the condensing system shall be capable of condensing the larger volume of steam exhausted from the turbines 7 and 18. It will thus be seenthat the means for driving the fans 16 at proper speed to effect condensation of the exhaust steam is antomatic or self-regulating, thereby obviating the mechanical complications, expense and attention incident to constructions heretofore employed. It will also be noted, in contradistinction to the prior constructions hereinbefore alluded to, that we do not aim to drive the fans at approximately constant speed, but at a speed proportional to the volume of exhaust steam to be condensed.

When the turbine 18 is utilized to drive apparatus which should be capable of operation when the car is stationary, live steam may be supplied to said turbine through a pipe 25 controlled by a throttle 26. 7 The means herein shown for driving the fans may be employed in stationary steam power lants where it is necessaryto utilize air-coo ed condensers. a

A boiler feed pump is diagrammatically indicated at 27 in Fig. 2, said pump being driven by the turbine 18 through the reduction gearing l9. The um 27 draws hot water from the hot well 28through a pipe 29' and, forces water through a ipe 30 to the boiler 8. As before explained the speed of the auxiliary turbine 18 automatically increases when the supply of steam to the main turbine 7 is increased. It will therefore be evident that the boiler feed pump 27 is driven at higher speed to increase the supply of water to the boiler as the flow of steam from the boiler is increased, and that, conversely, the supply of water to the boiler is automatically reduced when the flow of steam from the boiler is reduced. We thereby obtain an automatic regulation of the boiler feed pump to correspond more or less-closely with the demand for steam.

Weclaim as our invention:

An automotive vehicle having a condensing steam power plant comprising, in combination, a steam turbine for driving the vehicle, a boiler for supplying steam to said turbine, a condenser for condensing the steam exhausted from said turbine, said condenser being located at the top of the vehicle, a plurality of fans located at the opposite sides and at the bottom of the vehicle, ducts at the sides of the vehicle for connecting said fans to said condenser, said fans being adapted to induce a flow of air through the condenser, independent dampers in said ducts, and automatically operable means for driving the fans at speeds varying directly with the variations in the supply of steam to the turbine. In testimony whereof we have hereunto affixed our signatures.

WARREN DEAN BURTON.

CHARLES 13. PAGE. 

